George Ward, Las VegasMember Since November 2008Artist Statement I have always loved art, drawing, sculpting marble, clay modeling, and painting. The act of creating something new with my hands from my own original thought gives me a terrific feeling of fulfillment. Painting in oils is my forte' ,but also I do drawings in other mediums, such as colored pencil. Some of my favorite artists are, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and the raw, vibrant ,post-impressionistic style of VanGogh, to name a few. I enjoy the out-of-doors, camping, hunting, fishing, as well as shooting and building black powder weapons. I long for simpler times of days gone by, like the early nineteenth century rural America, when life moved along at a slower pace, and people truly cared. I'm 56yrs old, a widower and have raised 8 children. I cared for my loving wife who was retired and disabled. She was everything to me. She is now deceased, but I remember her always in my heart. I still manage to turn out an oil painting for my own pleasure from time to time . At those times I become so engrossed with the work that I guess I become part of the piece I'm working on. But the act of creating something unique and new fills me with a sense of accomplishment.